An athlete competing in events such as bicycling, canoeing, rowing, and other sports where the hands are occupied needs a hydration delivery system for water and other fluids which is convenient and can be operated without using the hands. The athlete must stay properly hydrated during endurance sports activities but needs to do it without using the hands. The system should be light, simple, adjustable and easy to use. Previous systems have had inconvenient designs that cause fumbling with the tubing or having to use the hands to drink.
An example of a prior hands-free hydration delivery system is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,833 to Edison, entitled "Camel Back", which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. This system employs a flexible back pack worn on the back of a bicyclist and connected via a detachable connector to a length of tubing having a tube end with a deformation-type bite valve held in the user's lips and teeth.
However, one problem with the Edison system is that the tube is left dangling, such that release of the tube end from the user's mouth may result in the tube falling away and requiring the user to retrieve it by hand, or may become dislodged when the user suddenly turns the head. Another problem is that the system depends upon the user leaning fully forward, such as over the handlebars of a bicycle, in order for the backpack container to be elevated sufficiently at or above the level of the user's mouth to allow fluid to flow to the tube end by gravity. Hence, the system would require a bicyclist who is not in a full crouch to suck heavily on the tube end in order to draw fluid against gravity from the container. It would not be suitable for use in sports environment where the user's torso is erect, such as for canoeing or rowing.
Other hydration delivery systems have employed various means to overcome the problem of drawing fluid to the user's mouth. U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,260 to Krug discloses a waist-worn bladder from which fluid is pumped up to the user's mouth. U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,905 to Nelson discloses placing beverage containers in holders secured to a cap, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,083 to Davidson teaches filling the visor element of a motorcycle helmet with fluid, in order to allow gravity feed of fluid to the user's mouth. U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,142 to Holmes discloses pressurizing a fluid bladder by the user first blowing air into an inner pressurizing bladder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,457 to Croft shows a backpack for hikers in which the fluid container is positioned at the top of the backpack at the level of the user's head. U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,769 to Wilson discloses a flow control device that holds the fluid to the point of suction and prevents it from flowing back into the bottle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,885 to Wyatt discloses the use of a fluid compartment fitted with an air pressure equalizer valve and a tube end clipped to the user's clothing near the user's mouth. U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,573 to Carnel and U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,880 to Adam show a fluid container held in a user-worn garment with a feed tube exiting near the user's mouth.
However, these other devices requiring a complicated pump, valve, or fluid pressurizing mechanism or mounting of the fluid container at or above the head of the user add to the production cost of the device and/or is inconvenient to assemble or use.